Top 5 biggest UFC punchers ranked from Alex Pereira to featherweight bogeyman
Yesterday at 06:19 AM
The Octagon has been home to some incredibly heavy hitters over the years and the current roster is no different.
There aren’t many things that fight fans like more than a knockout and fighters that can consistently deliver them are treasured commodities.
We’ve seen some scary finishes in recent times from promotions outside of the MMA leader whether it is huge right hands in BKFC or uppercuts in Fury FC that won’t be forgotten in a hurry but that doesn’t factor into this five-man draft.
Under the rules that the list only features current UFC fighters and is ranked with pound-for-pound power in mind, here are the five most potent punchers on the roster.
One of the following names is even set to feature at the Apex this weekend (April 5) after being called out by an undefeated contender at 145-pounds.
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5. Tom Aspinall
In some ways, it feels a bit like cheating to have a heavyweight on a pound-for-pound power list because they’re naturally the biggest athletes on the roster.
However, in the case of Tom Aspinall, it’s fitting because it isn’t just his size that makes the Brit such a ferocious force inside of the Octagon.
The interim heavyweight champion currently holds the record for the fastest average fight time in UFC history which is made even more impressive when you consider that to qualify for the list, you must make the walk at least five times and even then, he’s nearly 20 seconds ahead of the #2 entry Drew McFedries.
There’s always a narrative that at heavyweight, one punch can change the fight but Aspinall has proved that with 6 knockouts in 8 UFC wins, he can deliver that killer blow in the blink of an eye.
4. Jeremy Stephens
Jeremy Stephens recently re-signing to the UFC on a one-fight deal makes ‘Lil Heathen’ eligible for this list and frankly, the only reason he isn’t higher is that it has been a long time since we last saw him finish an opponent in MMA (7 years to be precise).
The power of the 51-fight MMA veteran has recently been on show during his time in BKFC where he’s produced a career resurgence with wins over Jimmie Rivera, Bobby Taylor and Eddie Alvarez.
When Stephens famously told Conor McGregor during their press conference exchange that he was the real hardest hitting 145-pounder, he wasn’t lying… at the time.
He’s currently tied second with Anderson Silva for the most knockdowns in UFC history, falling two short of Donald ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone’s record of 20.
3. Alex Pereira
Size is an important factor when you rank Alex Pereira next to smaller fighters but you simply don’t see fighters at 205-pounds or above that land with this much impact.
Fighters like the late Anthony ‘Rumble’ Johnson have also been feared in this division but when you see the explosion in his punches, it’s clear to see where the force is generated.
‘Poatan’ has a track record for making his one-shot power look effortless with 10 of his 12 wins in MMA coming by way of knockout.
Not to mention his frankly absurd highlight reel from his time as an elite kickboxer where he recorded 21 knockouts in 33 wins with his signature left hook being the stuff of legend.
2. Josh Emmett
Josh Emmett is in the conversation with heavyweights like Francis Ngannou for having the scariest set of knockouts despite the fact that he’s a featherweight.
Similar to the formerly mentioned ‘Rumble’ Johnson, it’s no secret that the American’s ferocious power comes from the insane explosiveness that he’s able to generate.
His knockouts over the likes of Ricardo Lamas, Michael Johnson and Bryce Mitchell have shown that Emmett is a 145-pound fighter that only needs to land once with no follow-ups required.
He’ll look to put his weapons of mass destruction to good use against the undefeated Lerone Murphy on April 5 as the 40-year-old tries to produce one last signature run.
The only thing stopping him from taking the pound-for-pound top spot is a fellow home-run hitter in the same weight class who put on a clinic against him back in 2023.
1. Ilia Topuria
Much like Alex Pereira, Ilia Topuria has an ability to put opponents away whilst making it look easy at times.
Several factors push the newly named ‘La Leyenda’ into the top spot at this time with one major point being that before he arrived in the UFC, the undefeated star wasn’t even known for his KO prowess.
When he arrived in the UFC in 2020, Topuria had just one knockout to his name with 7 wins by submission.
He has since added 5 more knockouts to his record and if the quality of opposition bares any weight in this list, the 28-year-old has to be the first-round draft pick after knocking out two all-time greats in his latest outings.
Stopping Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 298 was one thing but becoming the first man to knockout Max Holloway at UFC 308 cemented this spot.
We still don’t know how Topuria’s power will matchup with the top lightweights now that he’s moved up to 155-pounds but we did see against Jai Herbert in 2022 that his ability to close the show is still a red alert risk outside of the featherweight division.
Topuria might not have the same explosion behind his shots as some others but if anything, that only makes it more impressive that he’s able to fold opponents with the touch of death.
